I have discovered that Master Naga has no sense of direction. After taking two increasingly wrong turns, he has me lead him back to the courtyard.

I crouch by the corner of the lake, quietly explaining what's happening to the koi, pulsing minute electrical currents through the water into their minds. Thankfully, they’re familiar enough with the method to not be bothered by trifles like confusion, gathering obediently in the center of the pool.

Master Naga extends a hand, water shifting to lift the fish in a large ball. "Do you have anything to collect?" He asks, voice soft and smooth as he speaks beside my ear. I restrain an uncomfortable shiver, unfazed expression hanging there by a thread. I didn't even see him move.

"Money, Master Naga. I also have leftover meal cards that I collected. It seems wasteful to discard them. Would you permit me to leave them with the other slaves before we depart?" I ask, pushing a branch out of the way as I remove a small stack of cards. He nods, eyes lingering on the cards in my hands from beneath pale eyelashes.

I hurry toward the slave quarters, not trying to test my new Master's patience. I slip in, depositing one card per bed before slipping back out, unnoticed.

I send my electric sense down the hall, picking up the fluctuations of speech near Master Naga. This signature belongs to Master Xiao.

I focus, abandoning the other hallways along the way, tuning into their conversation.

"He's quite useless. Sloppy and slow. I just wouldn't want him to embarrass you, Master Naga. I mean, he's already run off somewhere and it hasn't even been an hour since you got him. I can offer you another one of my slaves if you need one. A better one." There's a slight chafing noise as he rubs his dry hands together.

I pick up my pace, my stomach tied in knots. Don't leave me, Master. You wanted me, don't leave me. If you do, he'll kill me for embarrassing him.

I slow my pace again as I round the bend for the courtyard entrance, startling back as Master Naga's water droplets greet me. One spins almost excitedly around my head and shoulders while the other two circle around to my back, urging me forward. I follow them, bowing first to Master Naga, then to Master Xiao who scowls viciously.

Master Naga smiles faintly, almost victoriously, at Master Xiao. The one you greet first is your master, then everyone else in order of rank. Your master could be a low-ranked noble and their guest a god, and you would still greet your master first.

"Master Naga, I have said my goodbyes to the other slaves and am ready to depart at your order. I am greatly moved by your benevolence."

The interest I would occasionally detect sharpens in Master Naga's eyes at my words. He must know that my words will shame Master Xiao to anger and that because my ownership switched to Master Naga, who is above him, he will be prevented from punishing me. I'm using his status, but he doesn't seem to mind.

"We will depart at once." he strides toward me, the floating ball of fish bobbing along behind him as he wraps his arm around my waist.

I barely manage to restrain my urge to shrink back as the warmth of his hand burns into the small of my back through my hemp clothes. He leans close, lips a hair's breadth away from the shell of my ear. "Hold onto me, Little One, I hear that the first transport is difficult."

I nod silently, hesitantly gripping his robes with a light hold so I don't wrinkle his collar, taking note of the nickname in case he uses it again.

"I'll see you in one year, Xiao."

It's like a vacuum has opened up beneath my feet, sucking me and all the light around me into the ground for a split second before an unfamiliar house appears before my eyes. The world spins around me, and my knees are weak, every fiber in my body rejecting the transportation it just experienced. Carefully, I adjust the electrical impulses running rampant inside of me, returning me to my normal level of bodily control before glancing around carefully. Before me stands a long staircase lined with carvings of an unfamiliar serpent, blanketed by a layer of cold fog.

Though I'm curious about my new surroundings, I don't forget my training, eyes fixed ahead, just below knee level.

"If you keep your eyes on the ground, you'll run into something." Master Naga's voice slithers into my ear and I realize that I'm still holding the collar of his robes. Quickly releasing them, I smooth my own robes only to realize that he hasn't released his hold on me either.

"Yes, Master Naga. I will be careful."

He makes a noise of agreement. "Good, I wouldn't want you getting yourself hurt."

Of course not. If your broom is broken, you can't sweep.

He releases me slowly, fingers dragging over the small of my back before he starts up the stairs. I'm quite sure he could get up the stairs much faster if he wasn't being considerate of me. However, I could also get up the stairs much faster if I wasn't being conscious of him. Not as effectively as I could on metal or water, but even stone will suffice, so long as it has metal particles in it or is damp.

Instead, I walk faster, allowing him to speed up to what looks like a more comfortable pace for him. "Why did your master think you were slow?" Master Naga asks, not taking his eyes off the temple.

I'm focused on keeping my body functioning at this level, but my old training is deeply ingrained, prompting an immediate response. My idle musings spill from my careless mouth between breaths. "Perhaps he said that because he didn't get to fuck me before you took me away," I reply quietly, eyes locked on the stairs.

My steps falter for a moment as I process what I just said.

Perhaps he said that because he didn't get to fuck me before you took me away.

"My apologies for my impertinence, Master Naga. Please punish me as you see fit."

A small chuckle reaches my ears. "Punish you? Why? For answering my question?"

I stay silent, feeling that this is not a question that requires my response.

By the time we reach the top of the stairs, the three little water droplets that have been around Master Naga since I first saw him ripple, reshaping into a little blue-haired girl and a young man and woman with matching dark hair and honeyed skin. All three appear to be wearing traditional clothes for the region — a hemp wrap and long skirt for the girls and a loose shirt and pants for the man. The little girl bounds over to me and grabs my hands, shaking them excitedly as she giggles, a seemingly unintentional pressure seeping from them. I avert my eyes from the child and instead watch the four from my periphery.

"My name is Danum! I'm an anito of water, and one of Naga's attendants." She beams up at me, little teeth just a bit too sharp and blue eyes a bit too large to be human.

Naga? No title, but also no given name. So, well above me but still below Master Naga.

I give her a small bow, turning my head a bit toward the couple still holding hands to the side. "Mia and Marcus. Water dragons of the island." The young man introduces. Mia nods her greetings. I bow.

"I am 1802 of Naga."

Everyone pauses, looking at me with a mix of confusion and concern. "1802 of Naga?" Master asks, something unfathomable in his tone.

"Yes, Master Naga. That is the number I was assigned upon admission to the orphanage and your family name, as I currently belong to you."

His brows furrow in what looks like disgust. "Your parents did not name you before you became a servant?"

I shake my head, thinking over his strange terminology. Servant? What servant? I'm a slave. "No, Master Naga. Children who do not exhibit an elemental ability upon birth are thought to disgrace the family and are often killed. If the first attempt fails, they are sent to an orphanage to be trained to be sold as a slave."

Master Naga turns away sharply and strides into the temple. Ah, he's displeased. The other three stare at me, the dragons holding sympathetic eyes and the small water spirit looking murderous.

"Forgive my impertinence, but are you also slaves, or are you members of the household?" I ask into the silence.

Danum squeezes my hands. "We serve Naga, but we're not slaves. But..." she trails off, thinking hard, "We aren't members of his family...and we don't get paid...so..." when her face gets so red it looks like a ripe tomato, I pat her head lightly.

"Masters don't allow slaves free reign in another's domain as he did you three. You seem more like companions to me."

She lets out a contented giggle before running off somewhere. Mia and Marcus make their way to a smaller building off to the side, presumably their rooms.

Left alone with no instructions, I turn toward the temple, making my way to the doorway and settling into position: spine straight, hands clasped in front of me, eyes half-closed so I can rest.

My mind drifts between dreams and reality as I sleep. Maybe because of our conversation earlier, or the disgusted glint in Master Naga's eyes, but I can't help but dream about my days in the orphanage.

Trained day and night for years, the regimen harsh and unyielding. They had two purposes: to prevent slaves from forming a personality that may incite rebellion, and to instill an unshakable sense of obedience toward our owner, whether they keep us for a day or our whole lives, whether they treat us well or beat us half to death. Our entire lives were dedicated to pleasing our Master. Obedience and manners were beaten into our very bones from the time we could talk.

The temple is nearly silent, only the whispers of the trees and waves down the stairs to alter the electricity in the air around me. When I rest, I become infinitely more sensitive to the fluctuations around me as a protective measure. My last master didn't use me as a combatant slave, likely because he didn't bother to read my papers beyond that I'm not an elemental, but my aptitude for battle was proven with my first and third Masters, and the training we went through to assess our placement in the orphanage. My Unique ability is perfectly suited to combat, both as an offensive and defensive skill.

I remember my branding, the stench of scorched flesh, pain so hot it felt like ice, and the ache left in my wrists and ankles for days from the leather straps used to restrain us.

A small ripple passes through my barrier, pulling me back into consciousness.

"You're still outside?" Master Naga's voice is frigid, but like the time in the courtyard, it holds no venom.

"I received no instructions, Master Naga, and thought it best not to go somewhere you couldn't find me." I clasp my hands and bow, ignoring the way my joints creak from the extended period of stillness in the cold.

"Then why don't I show you to your room?"

The order is phrased as a question, as though I have a choice, prickling uncomfortably at my scalp.

"As you wish, Master Naga."

He leads me into the shrine, where warm air buffets me in a gentle embrace. Master Naga’s long white hair slips over his broad shoulders beside me in the gentle breeze. My fingers and toes tingle painfully as they warm up.

I take the silence as an opportunity to study my surroundings inconspicuously. Ornate stone and gold carvings and high ceilings arch above us, the hollow echoes of our footsteps resonating through the building. We move out of the main shrine into a back hall, twisting and turning enough times to convince me that we've gotten lost again.

He pauses for a long moment as we pass the doorway to the shrine we came through earlier.

"If you tell me the contents of the room, I may be able to find it."

His eyebrows twitch. "Bed, dresser, desk. In the West Wing." He lists the furniture off before shooting out a question, "How?"

"I'm an electrokinetic Unique. Details of my abilities are in my ownership paperwork." I murmur, senses widening as I shift my gaze toward the West Wing.

Library, herb storage room, small shrine, small shrine, storage closet, kitchen, bedroom no desk, bedroom with desk but no dresser, meditation room, meditation room, herb storage room, bedroom with dresser and desk — oh, bedroom with dresser and desk.

I nod at Master Naga, before setting off. I hear his soft steps behind me and the rustle of paper — likely my ownership papers. I wonder if he will use me for manual labor, combat, and bodyguard duties, or if he's like my second master. He may be like my first master, who gave me multiple roles. I suppose I'll find out when we get to my bedroom.